This post is sponsored by Scotiabank. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely our own.
The Scotiabank Gold American Express Card has always been a standout when it comes to earning rewards, particularly on groceries.
And now, thanks to Scene+’s newest co-owner, Sobeys, you can now earn more rewards than ever on your groceries. This will allow you to travel for free even faster than before.
How much more could you earn per year? Here’s what we found.
Earning Scene+ points with the Scotiabank Gold American Express
First, let’s start with what you’ll earn for rewards.
The welcome bonus is magnificent. Right now, you’ll be able to earn 45,000 bonus points, and pretty easily too:
- 25,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months, and
- 20,000 points after spending $7,500 in the first year.
As to your everyday purchases, here’s what you’ll get:
- 6 Scene+ points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and more
- 5 Scene+ points per $1 spent on groceries, dining, and entertainment
- 3 Scene+ points per $1 spent on gas, select streaming services, and transit
- 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on foreign currency purchases
- 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on all other purchases
That’s a lot of points to earn, but how many could you earn in a year?
Here’s an example of $2,000 in monthly spending, with a little extra emphasis on groceries.
| Spend Category | Monthly Spend | Points Earned Per $1 Spent | Annual Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groceries | $800 | 5 | 48,000 |
| Restaurants/Entertainment | $200 | 5 | 12,000 |
| Gas/Transit/Rideshares | $200 | 3 | 7,200 |
| Streaming Services | $60 | 3 | 2,160 |
| Other Purchases | $740 | 1 | 8,880 |
| Total | $2,000 | 78,240 |
That’s a lot of points to earn in one year.
Now, how much more could you earn if you spent some of that grocery money at Sobeys?
Let’s start with half of it.
| Spend Category | Monthly Spend | Points Earned Per $1 Spent | Annual Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sobeys/Safeway | $400 | 6 | 28,800 |
| Other Groceries | $400 | 5 | 24,000 |
| Restaurants/Entertainment | $200 | 5 | 12,000 |
| Gas/Transit/Rideshares | $200 | 3 | 7,200 |
| Streaming Services | $60 | 3 | 2,160 |
| Other Purchases | $740 | 1 | 8,880 |
| Total | $2,000 | 83,040 |
That’s almost 5,000 more points. What if we switched all of it to Sobeys or Safeway stores?
| Spend Category | Monthly Spend | Points Earned Per $1 Spent | Annual Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sobeys/Safeway | $800 | 6 | 57,600 |
| Other Groceries | $0 | 5 | 0 |
| Restaurants/Entertainment | $200 | 5 | 12,000 |
| Gas/Transit/Rideshares | $200 | 3 | 7,200 |
| Streaming Services | $60 | 3 | 2,160 |
| Other Purchases | $740 | 1 | 8,880 |
| Total | $2,000 | 87,840 |
That’s almost 10,000 more points. There’s also a good chance you may spend more than $800 per month on groceries if you have a family to feed.
In short, that’s plenty of rewards you’re earning when shopping at Sobeys. And none of this includes what you could be earning with Scene+ when shopping at Sobeys.
Redeeming your Scene+ points
We know you’re going to get a bucketload of points, but there’s one big question to answer – what are all these Scene+ points worth?
Here’s a summary of your options:
Plenty of options, but you definitely want to stick to these 4:
- Cineplex tickets and movie snacks,
- travel booked through Scene’s Expedia portal,
- free groceries at Sobeys and Safeway, or
- food at Recipe unlimited restaurants.
If you have a Scene+ credit card, you can also book any travel, from any provider. The only catch is you need to redeem a minimum of 5,000 points.
This is really the beauty of the Scene+ program. Most rewards programs only give you the best value if you redeem for travel. But not here. You’ve got 4 unique options to use, they’re all worth the same, and they’re all worth a lot.
Whether you want to take a big bite out of travel costs, or you simply want to take small bites out of your grocery bill as you earn points, the choice is yours.
So, we’ve established that each point is worth 1 cent. That puts that welcome bonus at $400.
So what does that give you for annual rewards?
For each of the 3 spending patterns we gave above, here’s what your points are worth.
| Points Earned | Annual Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| No Sobeys Spend | 78,240 | $782 |
| Half Sobeys | 83,040 | $830 |
| All Sobeys | 87,840 | $878 |
Just by spending some of your grocery budget at Sobeys, you’re earning extra rewards, in this case almost $100 more.
It’s an excellent upgrade to not just this, but all Scene+ cards.
Other features of the Scotiabank Gold American Express
There’s more to the Scotiabank Gold American Express than the rewards. It’s a full-featured travel card.
The best perk? No foreign exchange fees. Most credit cards charge a fee of 2.5% on purchases that aren’t made in Canadian dollars. But there’s no fee here – just the exchange rate applies. In fact, Scotia is the only major bank that does this with their credit cards (the other is the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite).
That’s not all. You’ll be covered when you travel with the 11 types of credit card insurance coverage included – here are the details.
Scotiabank Gold American Express® Card Please review your insurance certificate for details, exclusions and limitations of your coverage.Extended Warranty 1 year Purchase Protection 90 days Mobile Device $1,000 Travel Accident $500,000 Emergency Medical Term 25 days Emergency Medical Maximum Coverage $1,000,000 Emergency Medical over 65 3 days Trip Cancellation $1,500 Trip Interruption $1,500 Flight Delay $500 Baggage Delay $1,000 Lost or Stolen Baggage $1,000 Hotel Burglary $1,000 Rental Car Theft & Damage Yes
All of this is for a standard annual fee of $120 that’s currently waived for the first year.
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$60 GeniusCash + Up to 45,000 bonus points + No foreign exchange fees.*
Ready to earn more rewards at Sobeys with a Scene+ credit card?
So that’s it – an easy way to earn more rewards on your groceries, courtesy of Scotiabank, Scene+, and Sobeys.
Will you start collecting more rewards at Sobeys and Safeway?
Let us know in the comments below.
FAQ
What does the Scotiabank Gold American Express offer for rewards?
The Scotiabank Gold Amex offers the following for rewards:
- 6 Scene+ points per $1 spent at Sobeys, Safeway, FreshCo and more
- 5 Scene+ points per $1 spent on groceries, dining, and entertainment
- 3 Scene+ points per $1 spent on gas, select streaming services, and transit
- 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on foreign currency purchases
- 1 Scene+ point per $1 spent on all other purchases
What special features does the Scotiabank Gold Amex include?
The Scotiabank Gold Amex offers more than just rewards. You’ll also get:
- no foreign exchange fees,
- 11 types of insurance coverage, and
- Amex benefits like Amex Offers.
What is the annual fee and what are the income requirements of the Scotia Gold Amex?
The Scotiabank Gold Amex has an annual fee of $120 and a personal income requirement of $12,000.
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